Occupation / Current Position
Retired Public School Superintendent
Education
BA - Psychology and Philosophy (Wittenberg University), MA - Agency Counseling (Oakland University), EdD - Ed Leadership (Nova Southeastern University)
Qualifications and Experience
25 years serving children, youth, and families at Starr Commonwealth, 20 years serving as District Superintendent for Athens, Marshall, Albion, and Mar-Lee
We can do better. Public education needs fully funded to address the varied needs of our students and to sustain highly qualified teachers and para-professionals in our teaching and learning environments. This includes incentivizing student teachers entering into the education profession. We need to make preschool available to every child in Michigan and pay our pre-school teachers a professional and competitive wage, while requiring a state-wide reading curriculum for early literacy . We need to provide affordable childcare for families. And standardized testing should be used to inform educators on student growth/achievement.
Let’s begin by addressing the impact of illegal tariffs on Michiganders; not only on small businesses and family-owned farms, but on all consumers. We need to fight to right the ship on this economy that is squeezing hard working Michiganders every day. I support tax credits to off-set the impact of tariffs, help farmers with out-of-control increased costs with fertilizer, diesel fuel, equipment costs, and shrinking markets to sell their products. Only then can we make a lasting impact on inflation and “shrink-flation”. And lastly, let’s make billionaires pay their fair share in taxes.
We need to support alternative energy growth in Michigan. We need to hold a moratorium on the expansion of data centers until the State does the research to establish clear guidance to municipalities and local governments on best practices to be followed and standards to achieve. We also need to hold energy companies to account for their rate structures both in Michigan and across the power grid we share with other states. We are the Great Lakes State! Fresh water sources and all of our natural resources must be protected from over use and abuse.
I support and will protect our State and US Constitutions, and will fight for the Bill of Rights and civil liberties that every person deserves in our country. I especially want to reinforce the guardrails established over years of democratic practice; including the separation of power between legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government, and the separation of church and state.
Occupation / Current Position
State Representative, District 45
Education
Paralegal Program LCC
Qualifications and Experience
State Representative serving in my fourth term, Have held leadership positions, Associate Speaker Pro Tem, Minority Vice Chair of Appropriations, Current Judiciary Chairwoman
We have invested more than ever in education. I feel we need to give teachers the tools they need to succeed in the class and help our kids thrive. I am not a fan of standardized testing but believe benchmarks can tell teachers what they need to reach each student. We need to get back to basics and teach kids to read, write and do math. I consult with a lot of my teacher friends to help me understand what is going on and what they need to help our kids be successful.
I have supported no tax on tips, overtime, social security and pensions. All of us feel the pressure of every day living with rising costs. We need to have targeted tax relief, which is why I support property tax relief, and income tax relief. When we look at other states that are thriving, we see little to no personal income tax. People should spend the money on things they feel is appropriate, not the government. The more money people have in their wallet will drive the economy better than most programs the government comes up with.
People want to know that their power is reliable. They want to know when they get home, their lights are on. We have voted to freeze utilities from raising rates and invest back to the people by modernizing the grid. I will continue to support policies that drive down costs for all in Michigan.
The Courts have already declared that due process, the First and Fourth Amendments are for all "persons" within our US borders. Undocumented people that came here illegally, do need to be sent back to their home countries and go through the proper channels before coming back. When we have willy nilly border policies, these undocumented persons take from our citizens and residents of Michigan. We know how hard it is to succeed in Michigan, and I want to make sure our citizens and documented guests are the priority.
